busy, industrious, diligent, assiduous, sedulous mean actively engaged or occupied. busy chiefly stresses activity as opposed to idleness or leisure.

BUSY definition: actively and attentively engaged in work or a pastime. See examples of busy used in a sentence.

BUSY definition: 1. If you are busy, you are working hard, or giving your attention to a particular thing: 2. If…. Learn more.

1. actively and attentively engaged, esp. in work. 2. not at leisure; otherwise engaged: He's busy and can't see you. 3. full of activity: a busy life. 4. (of a telephone line) in use. 5. meddlesome; prying.

When you are busy, you are working hard or concentrating on a task, so that you are not free to do anything else. What is it? I'm busy. They are busy preparing for a hectic day's activity on Saturday.

Definition of busy adjective in Oxford Advanced American Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.

Busy work Chores such as mopping outdoors can be busy work. Busy work (also known as make-work and busywork) is an activity that is undertaken to pass time and stay busy but in and of itself has little …

Busy means actively employed, temporarily or habitually: a busy official. Diligent suggests earnest and constant effort or application, and usually connotes fondness for, or enjoyment of, what one is doing: …

Jan 20, 2026 · busy (third-person singular simple present busies, present participle busying, simple past and past participle busied) (transitive, usually reflexive) To make somebody busy or active; to occupy.

If you are busy, you are doing something and not available to do something else. I'm sorry, I'm busy on Monday. Can we get together on Wednesday? I'm too busy to go to the movies. The doctor's busy …